Collateral Damage Daily for June 8

Edwin Encarnacion hit off a tee and is expected to return to the lineup today. Jaime Garcia is heading to the DL for his shoulder, for which we will go into more detail below. Freddie Freemanís x-rays were normal and is expected to miss a few more days before returning to the lineup. The news wasnít as good for Yoenis Cespedes, though; he injured his left hamstring yesterday and is day-to-day. He also tweaked his left patellar tendon earlier in the week and may be headed to the DL.

Additions

Jaime Garcia was placed on the DL with a left shoulder strain, then headed back to St. Louis for further testing, including an MR arthrogram. This is an invasive procedure thatís avoided unless there is strong suspicion for a torn labrum or rotator cuff. This test requires Garcia to rest for at least three days afterward. The Cardinals are saying that surgery is not being considered at this point, but that doesnít mean Garcia will be able to avoid it altogether. More information should be coming out today or tomorrow, and we will be able to get a better timeline as to when he could return. Right now, it doesnít sound like he will be back anytime soon. Fernando Salas was brought up to take the roster spot.

Derek Holland has been not been good lately, plain and simple. Tests revealed that he is suffering from left shoulder fatigue, and he was placed on the DL retroactive to June 6. This isnít the first time heís dealt with rotator cuff inflammation; he missed a few months in 2010 because of it. The recent shoulder problems may be related to the stomach virus Holland has dealt with for a few weeks, as he was doing well until later in the game. Heís going to get further evaluated today both for his shoulder and probably something related to the virus.

The Washington Nationals placed Henry Rodriguez on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right index finger. The move was retroactive to June 6. Rodriguez suffered a contusion to the same finger a week earlier after slamming it in the bathroom door; he has been getting treatment every day since. He didnít pitch again until June 5 and still had pain following the outing. The tendon was likely weakened after being bruised from the run-in with the door and was strained as a result. These can be tricky to come back from, so I donít expect to see Rodriguez back in the minimum. Brad Lidge was activated, switching spots with Rodriguez.

Kosuke Fukudome was placed on the disabled list retroactive to June 4 with a strained right oblique. Fukudome was replaced on the roster by Jordan Danks, younger brother of John, who has been lighting up Triple-A pitching this year. Fukudome has not done well so far this year—he has a .220 TAv—and left the June 3 game with what was termed as back spasms. Further testing revealed the strained oblique, and he was moved to the DL yesterday. He will probably be out three to four weeks.

Staring down the longest DL list in 2012 so far, the Padres are scrambling and wishing it could be September 1 when the active rosters expand. Eric Stults was placed on the disabled with a strained left latissimus dorsi muscle. The move was retroactive to June 4, when he suffered the injury during a normal bullpen session. There hasnít been a definitive timeline as to when he will return, but I expect he will be out at least three weeks.

Subtractions

Brad Lidge was activated from the disabled list one week earlier than expected, taking Henry Rodriguezís roster spot. Lidge came back from sports hernia surgery in 46 days and figures to slot back into the bullpen.

In the case of Holland, what does "shoulder fatigue" really mean? I've heard reports that he has lost 10 to 15 pounds due to his illness. Could this be the cause? Or has his weakened state lead to something a little more serious like an impingement?

It could be something as simple as the illness. Losing that much weight in a short amount of time clearly saps the energy and causes muscles to fatigue earlier. The hope is that the illness caused the fatigue and they were able to catch it before it becomes more serious. It will still take a few weeks to build up strength and put the weight back on.

"This is an invasive procedure that‚Äôs avoided unless there is strong suspicion for a torn labrum or rotator cuff."

I don't disagree with you that this is normally the case, but in Garcia's situation is seems they're doing this because all of the less invasive procedures they did the past week turned up nothing, yet he continues to complain that something is wrong, and not necessarily because they think he has a torn labrum.

Agreed, I'm not saying it wasn't necessary. Clearly something is going on or else he wouldn't be on the DL. When they use that test they look for a whole bunch of stuff. A torn labrum may not be at the top of the list but it's something that is in the differential diagnosis. They could also be concerned with the capsule, rotator cuff, joint cartilage, etc.